WWE News: How Much Does WWE Pay Their Developmental Wrestlers?


Before the huge stock drop in the WWE, Vince McMahon and Triple H were the heads of a billion-dollar company. Yes, that surpasses the daunted “million” mark and added a few more zeroes to their overall budget. They aren’t as big as IBM, Apple, PNC or Chase, but they are a very profitable company, despite their product.

The fact that WWE brings in hundreds of millions every year, they should be able to pay their wrestlers pretty well, right? If you take a look at this article in What Culture, some of the salaries will shock the WWE Universe.

“3. CM Punk, $1.7 Million Plus Allocated A Personal Tour Bus And Other First Class Travel, Also Some Creative Control And 3.25% Bonus On Merchandise Sales”

Of course, Punk is now gone from the WWE, but that salary isn’t even the worst of them all. Care to take a quick guess on the top salary in WWE?

If you guessed Sin Cara, you’re hilarious. John Cena, back in November of 2013, made $3 million, had private jet access along with first-class travel, the owner of his own personal tour bus, and accumulated 6.25 percent bonus on merchandise sales.

For those who are hard-working middle-class folks, I applaud you. Second, that should make the internal workings of your mind go ballistic. Yes, athletes are great and above everyone else, but they don’t deserve to make that much money. Someone should comment on the cliché, “Doctors and people who contribute to the world should make that much money,” like we’ve never heard that before.

Since WrestleMania season, money continues to be an issue for the WWE. On top of the many budget cuts, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter found out how much WWE pays their developmental stars.

“WWE developmental contracts are said to be in the region of $24,000 – $25,000 per year with two or three year commitments. WON also notes that WWE may have exceptions such as a big name or if they feel a star is going to become a top prospect.”

Personally, people who sit around and do nothing make more money than that. What does that say to the current-state of professional wrestling? It could say that WWE doesn’t care about their developmental stars. I realize they are on the very bottom of the totem pole, but $25,000 is a bit ridiculous.

With all of the talk about McMahon ripping off his superstars back in May, who knows what is next on the financial side of WWE. The ongoing turmoil is not something to boast about, but rather the attempt to regulate it and keep WWE prosperous is a must.

On a higher scale, practice squad players in the NFL make a minimum of $6,000 a week. So, the least they could make is $102,000. What does that say about the WWE? Granted, the two are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of revenue, but is Vince McMahon being cheap with the future of his product?

[Image via craveonline.com]

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